Showing posts with label World Premiere. Show all posts
Showing posts with label World Premiere. Show all posts

Sunday, September 18, 2022

The World Premiere of “Elesin Oba, The King’s Horseman” at the Toronto International Film Festival

The World Premiere of “Elesin Oba, The King’s Horseman” at the Toronto International Film Festival

"Elesin Oba, The King’s Horseman” coproduced by the EbonyLife Studios and Netflix premiered at the 2022 annual Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on Saturday, September 10. But I am still waiting for the reviews of the  premiere.

How was the reception?
How did the audience react?
What of the reviews by the film critics and journalists?

Bella Naija simply reported that it premiered at TIFF with the Executive Producer  Mo Abudu,  Odunlade Adekola, the lead actor, Omowunmi Dada, and Deyemi Okanlawon and showed their photos.
That's all.
No reviews and no interviews.

Biyi Bandele who directed the film adaptation of Nobel Laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka‘s play “Death and the King’s Horsemen.” unfortunately passed on suddenly weeks ago before the world premiere.

- By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima,
The Publisher/Editor, NOLLYWOOD MIRROR® Series


Wednesday, July 13, 2011

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" sold out before world premiere



13 Jul 2011 10:46 Africa/Lagos


"Harry Potter" Is Already Fandango's Top Ticket-Seller of the Year, Selling Out 5,000 Showtimes Before Its Friday Opening
"Deathly Hallows: Part 2" is Trending to Become #2 Top Pre-Seller in Fandango History





PR Newswire

LOS ANGELES, July 13, 2011

LOS ANGELES, July 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- With two more days before its July 15 release date, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" has already leaped over the year's previous box office winners to become Fandango's top-selling title of the year so far.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20061016/LAM046LOGO-b)

Fandango has sold more tickets for "Part 2" than it has sold for any other movie this year, including pre-release and post-release ticket sales.

Fandango's Top 5 Ticket-Sellers of the Year (as of July 13, 2011):

1. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2"
2. "The Hangover Part II"
3. "Transformers: Dark of the Moon"
4. "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides"
5. "Bridesmaids"


"Part 2" is also on track to become the #2 advance ticket-seller in Fandango's eleven-year history, following "The Twilight Saga: New Moon."

Fandango's Top 5 All-Time Pre-Sellers (by day's end on July 13, 2011):

1. "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" (2009)
2. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" (2011)
3. "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" (2010)
4. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1" (2010)
5. "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith" (2005)


The final adventure of the "Harry Potter" franchise is currently conjuring up 91% of daily ticket sales on Fandango, the nation's leading movie ticketing destination. More than 5,000 showtimes for the film are already sold out across the country, with theater owners continually posting additional show times to meet the fan demand in all the fifty states.

"It's our fastest-selling movie of the year and our best-selling 'Potter' movie of all time," says Fandango Executive Vice President and General Manager Rick Butler. "So many film fans grew up with 'Harry Potter' and want to celebrate the series conclusion together on the big screen. The first 'Potter' helped put advance ticketing on the map in 2001, so in some ways, Fandango as a company grew up with 'Potter' as well. It's fitting that the grand finale would break records with fans on our Web site and mobile applications."

About Fandango

Fandango, the nation's leading moviegoer destination, sells tickets to more than 16,000 screens. Fandango entertains and informs consumers with reviews, commentary and trailers, and offers the ability to quickly select a film, plan where and when to see it, and conveniently buy tickets in advance. Fandango is available at www.fandango.com, via your wireless mobile device at mobile.fandango.com, and at 1-800-FANDANGO. Fandango's top-ranking movie ticketing apps, with more than 16 million downloads, are available on the iPhone, iPad, Android, BlackBerry, Palm, Windows Phone 7 and many other platforms.

SOURCE Fandango

CONTACT: Harry Medved, +1-310-954-0461, harry.medved@fandango.com, or Melinda Petrow, +1-310-954-0278, ext. 231, melinda.petrow@fandango.com, both of Fandango

Web Site: http://www.fandango.com

Click here to buy the book now.




Harry Potter Years 1-7 Part 1 Gift Set




Monday, July 11, 2011

World Premiere of fastest Nollywood film at 2011 EKOIFF

The world premiere of Abba Makama's "Direc-Toh" the fastest Nigerian movie shot in one day comes up onTuesday July 12, the third day of the 2nd Eko International Film Festival (EKOIFF) at the Silverbird Galleria on Victoria Island, Lagos. The film will be screened at 10.30 am. The young Nigerian director is a graduate of New York University film school.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

South African AIDS Film Draws Tears at Cannes World Premiere



Tears of empathy flowed copiously for heart broken Chanda, the 12 year old heroine of the South African AIDS film Life, Above All as viewers were gripped by the heartrending film Tuesday morning in the Salle Debussy at the world premiere as an official selection of the 63rd Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard category.




Allan Stratton, 59, the author of Chanda’s Secrets the young adult novel that was adapted for the film Life, Above All said he was already in tears when he saw only the rushes during the filming in South Africa.



Allan Stratton (centre) Thato Kgaladi (Soly, the boy) and Mapaseka Matheba (Iris, the girl) on the set of film Life, Above All in South Africa.


“I wrote Chanda’s Secrets to put a human face to the Sub-Saharan AIDS pandemic. It’s a visually charged story that reaches audiences of all ages. A film version, created on location by South African director Oliver Schmitz, is a dream come true,” Allan Stratton said.




Chanda’s Secrets has won many prizes since 2005, including the Africana Book Award, Michael L. Printz Honor Book award and a finalist for the Prix Sorciere of France and it has been translated into over ten languages.


Life, Above All was directed by Oliver Schmitz, the South African director whose apartheid films Mapantsula and Hijack Stories have also been screened at the Cannes in 1988 and 2001.


“I think Allan Stratton found a very good way of showing the impact of AIDS in South Africa,” said Schmitz.

“Although the main story remains the same, many little changes were made. Allan Stratton’s novel is located in Africa, but we have tried to remain very specific in terms of language and culture. For me, this sort of detail is crucial because I want to be sure that I’m faithfully representing our universal history.”




The author said he spent a month in Botswana to research for the facts.
“I knew what it felt like to lose a loved one and what AIDS panic looked like, but I did want to see what was different. In Africa, instead of attacking a subset of society, it’s attacked entire societies. Two things I didn’t expect: Internet cafés everywhere, and the joy in people. When you watch the news, you see people in postures of despair and flies buzzing around babies and glassy expressions. But the truth is that there is so much fire and laughter and joy. It made me think of how resilient people are and how, against probability, there are people who are able to grow and thrive — and that’s the story of Chanda, ”


Life, Above All was produced by German filmmaker Oliver Stoltz whose chance meeting with Allan Stratton during a reading tour in Germany in 2005 led to the film adaptation of the novel.




SYNOPSIS:
Nothing is more contagious than lies

Just after the death of her newly-born baby sister, Chanda, 12 years old, learns of a rumor that spreads like wildfire through her small, dust-ridden village near Johannesburg. It destroys her family and forces her mother to flee. Sensing that the gossip stems from prejudice and superstition, Chanda leaves home and school in search of her mother and the truth.

CREDITS

• Oliver SCHMITZ – Director
• Dennis FOON – Screenplay
• Bernhard JASPER – Cinematography
• Christiane ROTH – Set Designer
• Ali N. ASKIN – Music
• Dirk GRAU – Film Editor

ACTORS

• Thato KGALADI – Soly
• Keaobaka MAKANYANE – Esther
• Harriet MANAMELA – Mrs Tafa
• Khomotso MANYAKA – Chanda
• Mapaseka MATHEBE – Iris
• Tinah MNUMZANA – Aunt Lizbet
• Lerato MVELASE – Lillian
• Aubrey POOLO – Jonah

THE STORY:

Chanda, 16, is a smart and determined South African girl on track to win a scholarship – but she’s suddenly thrust into an impossible situation, forcing her to adopt maturity beyond her years. When we first meet her, she’s making funeral arrangements for her year-old sister, Sara. If people begin to suspect Sara’s death was due to more than a passing flu, Chanda will be faced with shame and stigma, not only for the victim, but also for their entire family.

When Lilian’s (Chanda’s mother) illness becomes impossible to hide, their nosy, eccentric next-door neighbor, Mrs. Tafa, engages a spirit doctor to perform a startling ritual. The spirit doctor determines that a curse is hanging over her and her children. In order to lift it,

Lilian must return to the village from where she was banished decades before, leaving Chanda alone to care for her siblings.

Meanwhile, Chanda’s best friend, Esther, has turned to prostitution in a desperate attempt to survive and reunite her own family. Though the community shuns Esther, Chanda refuses to reject her friend. To the horror of those around her, Chanda opens her house to Esther at her friend’s moment of greatest need. That’s just the beginning of Chanda’s fight against convention.

When Chanda discovers that her mother may have gone away to die in order to spare her children shame, she ignores the cautions of the meddling Mrs. Tafa, and embarks on a fateful journey to bring her mother home. And in doing so, challenges the people around her to reject their prejudices and embrace the truth.






~ By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima



Friday, August 14, 2009

"Strigoi" to Hold World Premiere at Toronto's After Dark Festival

14 Aug 2009 13:04 Africa/Lagos

"Strigoi" to Hold World Premiere at Toronto's After Dark Festival

LONDON, August 14/PRNewswire/ --


- British-Romanian Vampire Flick To Debut At Canadian Thrill Fest


Strigoi (http://www.strigoimovie.com), a new independent vampire film set in present-day rural Romania, has announced that it will be holding its world premiere at the 4th annual Toronto After Dark Film Festival ( http://torontoafterdark.com/2009) on Monday, August 17th at the legendary Bloor Cinema.


"Strigoi", an English-language independent production, was cast and filmed entirely in Romania, the true home of vampire folklore. Remarkably, it is also the first film to be based on the original Romanian legend of "Strigoi" which inspired Dracula (which, in turn, inspired all modern vampire stories). However, the method for killing a Strigoi is a little different from the wooden stake through the heart method popularized by Bram Stoker. First, one needs to dig up the body of the person who's become Strigoi, and then their heart must be cut out and burned. Incredibly, this method of Strigoi disposal still occasionally happens in certain parts of rural Romania. See: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2005/jun/19/theobserver.


The film's Director, Faye Jackson, said: "We're extremely excited to be holding our world premiere at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival. Our film is the sort of genre mix that will really appeal to the Toronto After Dark Audience - a folk lore mystery that blends comedy and horror, set against the background of modern rural Romania, a place where the old world clashes with the new."


Shedding light on a post-communist Romanian village, the film focuses on the ancient myth of the Strigoi - souls that rise again after death to seek justice if they've been wronged, their appetites intensified by a hunger for blood.


The film's plot centres around Vlad, who investigates a mysterious death in his grandfather's village that raises questions about land ownership in the community. The trail points to ex-communist bully Constantin Tirescu and his wife, but when Vlad confronts them, he discovers that the richest landowners in the village have become real bloodsuckers.


Adam Lopez, Festival Director of the Toronto After Dark Film Festival, added: "As a premier showcase of new horror, sci-fi, action and cult movies, we're very excited to be hosting the World Premiere of Strigoi. This is just the sort of creative, independent genre film that our fans thrive on and we're sure their reaction will be enthusiastic."


The World Premiere will take place on Monday, August 17th at 9:30pm at Toronto's legendary Bloor Cinema. For more information, visit: http://www.strigoimovie.com.


Fans can also follow the build-up to the film's release on social sites Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/strigoimovie), Facebook ( http://www.facebook.com/strigoimovie) and video website Youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qs050qAhGNg).


About St.Moritz Productions


Strigoi is the debut feature film from St. Moritz Productions. Their previous film, the short LUMP, played internationally from Paris to Rio de Janeiro. It was featured in New York magazine as one of the top 5 shorts of the 44th New York Film Festival, where it screened on the closing night, twinned with Pan's Labyrinth.


About Toronto After Dark


Toronto After Dark Film Festival is one of the world's leading showcases of thrilling cinema and runs from August 14-21, 2009. The critically acclaimed annual festival, now in its fourth year, screens new horror, sci-fi, fantasy, action, animated and cult films from around the world, including many award-winning features and shorts. Last year's festival was attended by a record 8,500 enthusiastic film fans and over 100 members of press and industry. Visit: http://torontoafterdark.com/2009 or email: info@torontoafterdark.com.



Strigoi Press & Distribution Enquiries:
Rey Muraru, St.Moritz Productions
E: rey.muraru@strigoimovie.com
T: +44(0)7812352919




Source: ST. Moritz Productions Ltd

Strigoi Press & Distribution Enquiries: Rey Muraru, St.Moritz Productions, E: rey.muraru@strigoimovie.com, T: +44(0)7812352919